Jenna Lyons’ style

1. Elevate the Casual
The style icon has made a career of shocking on the red carpet with her unique twists — including this satin skirt topped with a tailored J.Crew denim jacket she wore to the Met Gala in May. The white collar and cuffs were sewn in.

Chance Yeh/PatrickMcMullan.com

2. Frame Your Face
Thick black glasses aren’t exactly a new look, but Lyons was an early champion of the heavy frames. “She was wearing thick-framed glasses for a while, and every girl wanted to wear them, too — regardless of whether they needed glasses,” says Leah Chernikoff, executive editor of Web site Fashionista.
3. Wear a Red-Orange Lip
When glossy nude puckers ruled, Lyons opted for a bold shift: matte orangey-red lips. “It put so much focus on her and that she was doing something different,” says Melissa Liebling-Goldberg, women’s editorial director of Gilt.com.

Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

4. Camo for Cocktails
Fatigues in the civilian world were once reserved for paramilitary-style fitness instructors, but Lyons managed to make butch seem feminine. “I don’t think many people had the nerve to wear a cargo jacket or camo before Jenna,” says Liebling-Goldberg. “She’s broken the rules of what’s casual and what’s dressy and recombined [them].”

Andy Kropa/Getty Images for TEEN VOGUE

5. Pump It Up
When Kardashian-style Louboutin platforms were all the rage, Lyons flaunted classic pumps in bold colors. “She started wearing the pointy-toed pump when they were off the radar,” says Liebling-Goldberg.

Marcy Swingle/GASTROCHIC.COM

6. A Pop of Neon
When Lyons wears something, it is almost guaranteed to be a hit. Case in point: The neon satchel was the must-have bag this year. “She’s about the mix of elements. She’ll have a pop of color. Last year everyone was into [her] look with the neon bag,” says Whitney.
Lots o’ Layers
Lyons also introduced the idea of layering textures — furs and knits with denim and leather — that don’t look frumpy or peculiar. “It’s incredibly appealing and it’s easy to understand the actual elements of the look,” says Liebling-Goldberg.

Rabbani and Solimene Photography/Getty Images

7. Prints on Prints
Mixing prints may have been a hallmark of eccentric women roaming the Upper West Side for years, but Lyons made it the norm for the fashion crowd. “I think everyone’s eyes have adjusted to it by seeing J.Crew doing it. Print mixing would seem more difficult if Jenna hadn’t made it ubiquitous,” says Liebling-Goldberg.

9. Daytime Sequins
Lyons doesn’t shy away from sparkly baubles that seem fit only for a night at the opera. “She’s a big champion of daytime sequins,” says Whitney. “J.Crew is very much about basics and American style, but she mixes it up in unexpected ways [such as] a sequin pant with a striped shirt.”

Astrid Stawiarz/WireImage for J. Crew

10. Make Your Own Rules
Lyons isn’t just a shake-up artist with her wardrobe. In April 2011, she ignited a media firestorm when the J.Crew catalog showed the fashionista painting her 5-year-old son Beckett’s toenails pink. Critics said it endorsed gender- bending. She said it wasn’t a political statement. Last October, she courted even more controversy when Page Six reported that she had left her artist husband for a woman, Courtney Crangi, pictured here.